Texas' Tom Herman after USC loss: 'There are no moral victories in college football'

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LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 16: Ronald Jones II #25 of the USC Trojans is stopped by the Texas Longhorns defense at the goal line during the first quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 16, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) ***BESTPIX***

The Longhorns pushed the heavily favored Trojans to double overtime. However, USC survived to pull of the 27–24 win.

Texas' coaches and players conveyed a variety of emotions after the defeat. Here are some of the best quotes from the team's postgame availability.

'No moral victories'

Head coach Tom Herman: "There are no moral victories in college football. They don't put a loss in paranthesis ... It doesn't happen. But if we can't hold our head high and learn from all the good that came from this game ... I think that says a lot about how far we've grown up as a team in the last two week."

Defense 'kept us in the game'

Herman on Texas' defense: "They kept us in the game. We couldn't do anything in the first half. Nothing ... There wasn't any finger pointing. I think the defense was excited to go back out because they were having fun out there. To keep us in the game the way they did was a real testament."

Ehlinger showed 'maturity'

Herman on QB Sam Ehlinger's performance: "[It was his] maturity. It was obvious he was struggling in the first half but to take the opening drive down in the second half, and kick a field goal settled him down a bunch."

Collin Johnson a future 'hall of famer?'

Ehlinger on WR Collin Johnson: "Collin Johnson's a Hall of Famer. There's no question about that -- everyone knows that. He'll be a first round [NFL] draft pick."

'I tried'

Ehlinger on his performance: "I tried. My teammates deserved it. They've been through a lot. I tried to give it all I had."

'I have the best hands on the team'

Ehlinger the 'heart and soul'

LB Malik Jefferson on Ehlinger: "He was the heart and soul today. Him fighting, him pushing, him going the extra yard, him taking those hits -- you can't say anything more. His performance showed he wanted to win that game."

'Good things will happen'

Johnson on Longhorns' confidence: "It's stuff we can build off of. Just the way we played — if we play like this the rest of the season, good things will happen."

Ehlinger's 'just a competitor'

Johnson on Ehlinger: "I was so proud of Sam. He's just a competitor, so he's going to be extra hard on himself. But I was just proud of the way he competed out there. Our whole offense was working on giving him confidence."